Railway car window



July '21, 1959 H. R. O'CONNOR 2,895,184

RAILWAY CAR WINDOW Filed Oct. 30, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l flYTOR NEYS- l il //vv/v 70R Ii Hma 0L 0 l2. Otomvonz '1 July 21, 195 H. R. O'CONNOR RAILWAY CAR wmnow 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 30, 1957 I l I m WWW wmww E R A W m United States Patent RAILWAY CAR WINDOW Harold Russell OConnor, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Application October 30, 1957, Serial No. 693,385

11 Claims. (Cl. 20-565) This invention relates to sash assemblies, especially those used on railway passenger cars, adapted for use in conjunction with double-glazed breather type windows which employ exterior and interior lights maintained in; spaced parallel relationship by the sash and associated light holders which in turn effect a substantially weathertight seal between the lights.

For many years a majority of railroads have employed a standard type of passenger car window sash which consists of two simple interior and exterior extruded aluminum frames screwed to each other, thereby holding in place the molded rubber light holder which maintains in position the two glass lights comprising the window pane. This assembly was commonly applied to the car body as a unit, from the interior of the car, after which the interior trim such as blinds, face-moldings, sill cappings and drapes etc. was applied. Under these conditions it is obvious that the removal of such a sash required the prior removal of all parts of the interior trim, thereby necessitating many man hours of labour.

At least one improvement has been made to this standard sash design with a view towards reducing the labour involved in removing the sash design with a view towards reducing the labour involved in removing the sash from thecar. This has consisted in so designing the sash that it could be completely removed from the exterior of thecar, thereby eliminating the necessity for disturbing the interior trim.

Such a design has yielded some labour saving advantages, but the mere removal of the sash assembly, in its. entirety, from the exterior of the car does not exploit all possibilities of making labour saving improvements in the design of double-glazed breather type window sashes. This is so because many of the operations which have heretofore involved the complete removal of-the sash assembly, such as the replacement of broken glass, the cleaning of the lights, and the removal of condensat-ion or fogging between the lights, could have taken place without detaching the whole unit from the car if it had been possible for a person standing outside the car to have separated the exterior light from the interior light, thereby exposing to himself the two mutually facing surfaces of the lights which are otherwise inaccessible. Such an arrangement would not only avoid the labour involved in removing the complete sash assembly from theside of the car but itwould also reduce the expense consequent to the removal of fog or condensation from between the lights, an operation which has hitherto ordinarily required removal of the whole sash assembly, which was then sent back to the manufacturer and completely disassembled.

With these considerations in mind I have found that considerable advantages can be obtained in double-glazed car window sash assemblies by providing interior and exterior co-operating frames, each with its associated light holder and light, the interior frame being adapted to be mounted more or. less permanently tothe side of the car While the exterior frame, with its associated light holder "ice and light, is movable outwardly relative to the corresponding interior elements, preferably by means of a concealed hinge rotatably connecting the exterior frame to the interior frame. To maintain the respective frames in closed or engaged position I find it advantageous to employ easily removable tapered pins extending through a flange in the exterior frame into the interior frame. Finally, to effect a neat weather-tight seal between the exterior frame and the side of the car and also to close off, inside the wall, both the removable pins and the hinge, and the means of access thereto, I employ a transverse seal engaging fiange integral with the exterior frame which extends towards the exterior of the car, away from the lights, and is adapted to engage with one side of an automotive type rubber seal whose other side engages the exterior pier plate of the car.

Accordingto this construction it is possible for a workman on the outside of the car to expose to himself the mutually facing surfaces of the two lights by first removing the outside rubber seal and then releasing the fastening means which retain the interior and exterior frames with their associated light holders and lights (hereinafter referred to as the interior and exterior sash assemblies, respectively) in engaged position. This allows the exterior sash assembly to be moved away from the interior sash assembly, preferably by means of a motion in which the top of the exterior sash assembly rotates downwardly and outwardly through the action of a concealed hinge disposed between the interior and exterior frames along the bottom of the window. To facilitate cleaning operations on the window I have also found it advantageous to provide flexible cables at each side which will maintain the exterior sash assembly in an approximately horizontal plane when the respective parts of the sash are in disengaged position.

It is thus an object of this invention to provide a sash arrangement for double-glazed breather type windows in which the two lights can be separated without removing the entire sash assembly from the window aperture, thereby facilitating the cleaning of the mutually facing surfaces of the lights, the removal of condensation therebetween, the replacement of the lights, and avoiding the necessity of removing inside trim arrangements in order to complete these operations.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a double-glazed breather type sash arrangement which is neat in appearance on both the interior and exterior sur faces and in particular which requires no exposed screw heads or the application of cover-up members to preserve a pleasant unbroken appearance.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds. In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of the complete sash assembly itself, apart from the window aperture in which it is mounted, showing the general shape of the window, the position of the retaining pins, mounting holes and hinge.

Figure 2 is a cross-section of the complete sash assembly taken at the bottom of the window along the line 22 in Figure 1, and also showing the relevant parts of the railway car to which the window is applied and the exterior seal.

Figure 3 is a section of the complete sash arrange ment at, the top of the window, across line 33 in Figure 1, and also shows a retaining pin and the method of its removal. In this figure the exterior seal has been removed to allow access to the retaining pin.

Figure 4 'is a section through the complete sash assembly at the centre of the top of the window, along line 4-4. in Figure 1, showing the breather tube and the mounting clip for the breather tube.

Figure is a plan view and front elevation of the V mounting clip.

Figure 6 is a section through the complete sash assembly at the right side of the window, along line 6-6 in Figure 2, designed show the position of the cable attachment screws and the position of the cable itself when the frames are in engaged position.

Figure 7 is a section of the complete sash assembly, also along line 2-2 in Figure 1, but showing the exterior frame in disengaged or folded down position, and the cable supports for maintaining it in an approximately horizontal plane.

For convenience of description the following terminological convention will be adopted for the purpose of this disclosure and the claims appended hereto. The word exterior will be used to described elements forming part of or nearest to the exterior surface of the railway car or other wall in which the window is located. Conversely, the work interior will be applied to elements forming part of or nearest to the interior of the railway car or wall in question. On the other hand, the terms inwardly and outwardly will be used to indicate directions generally parallel to the wall in which the window is located, inwardly connoting the direction measured from the periphery of the Window towards the centre of the pane and outwardly connoting the opposite direction, i.e. that which extends from the periphery of the window away from its centre. Finally the word transverse will be taken to mean a direction angularly disposed to that indicated by inwardly and outwardly, so that which is said to be transverse extends towards the interior or exterior of the car as the case may be.

In Figure 1, 1 generally represents the complete sash assembly shown in plan view, in engaged position, as seen from the exterior of the wall in which the window is placed, 2 indicates the interior frame having a mounting flange 3 which is provided with uniformly spaced mounting holes 4. 5 indicates the exterior frame, which, in the position shown is received by and partly surrounded by the exterior frame, and is releasably retained in that engaged position by means of pins 6 as explained below. The interior and exterior frames are preferably made from extruded aluminum sections which are bent to form a closed figure of any desired window shape. A piano type hinge 7, extending substantially the full length of the window, is disposed between the two frames as shown, beneath and therefore hidden by outside seal engaging flange 8 of exterior frame 5.

Referring now to Figure 2 which shows a section across the bottom part of the complete sash assembly along line 2-2 in Figure l, and indicates the interior and exterior frames respectively. Interior frame 2 comprises a body portion 9 having an interior inside light holder engaging flange 1t? extending inwardly from the body portion and forming part of the interior surface of the interior frame, and an outwardly extending mounting flange 3 having mounting holes 3 equally spaced about the periphery of the window as explained above. Mounting holes 4- are designed to receive machine screws 11 which extend through the mounting flange and, in conjunction with gasket 12, are adapted to mount rigidly the interior frame to the edges of the window aperture, such as right angle piece 13 as shown. Extending towards the exterior of the wall, from the bottom part of body portion 9, and integral therewith, is transverse flange 14 which thus defines a recess in the interior frame designed to receive and partly surround the body portion 15 of the exterior frame 5. The exterior frame 5 has, integral with body portion 15, an inwardly extending exterior light holder engaging flange 16 generally outwardly extending and a generally outwardly extending seal engaging flange 8 as shown. The inwardly extending light holder engaging flanges 1t) and 16 of the respective frames 2 and 5 are adapted to clamp between them interior and exterior 4 light holders 17 and 18 respectively. Light holders 17 and 18 are mounted on and surround the edges of the two lights 19 and 20 as shown, and of course extend completely around the periphery of these lights. They are designed to maintain the lights in spaced parallel relationship when the frames are in engaged position and the mutually abutting faces 21 and 22 of the respective light holders are designed to effect a substantially weathertight seal when the frames are secured in engaged position.

Hinge 7, preferably of the piano type, is placed between the frames along the bottom part of the window as shown. The leaf 23 is secured to the outwardly facing surface of body portion of exterior frame 5 and the leaf 24 is secured to the opposite surface of transverse flange 14 of the interior frame 2. The hinge pin 25 is oriented towards the exterior of the wall so as to allow the exterior frame 5 to rotate about interior frame 2.

The edge of seal engaging flange 8 extends into rubber seal 26, the other side of the seal engaging the exterior pier plate 27 of the car. The seal 26, made of rubber, is of well-known construction and includes wedge 28 which is first removed in order to allow the body part of the seal 26 to be forced out of the aperture defined between the edge of seal engaging flange 8 and the exterior pier plate 27 of the car.

Referring now to Figure 3, where a section along line 3-3 in Figure 1, at the top of the Window is shown, 6 represents the tapered pins which are spaced periodically about the top and side portions of the sash, and which extend through transverse flange 14 of interior frame 2 and into the body portion 15 of exterior frame 5 so as to releasably maintain the frames in engaged relationship. Pins 6 are designed so that when in position the head 29 is approximately on a level with the edge 30 of seal engaging flange 8 so as to facilitate removal of the pin by means of a special fork-like tool 31 which uses edge 30 as a fulcrum.

As best shown in Figure 4, which is a section through the sash arrangement at the top of the window along line 44 in Figure 1, a breather tube 32 is inserted through flange 8 and extends transversely along the surface of body portion 15 and then inwardly into the space between lights 19 and 20 as shown. The mutually abutting faces of light holders 17 and 18 may be scored at the appropriate point to facilitate passage of breather 32 and to effect a substantially weather-tight juncture there with.

Referring now to Figure 6 which shows a section cut through the sash assembly on the right side of the window along line 66 in Figure 2, 33 and 34 indicate the two pan-head machine screws adapted to retain the steel cable supports. 34 is threaded into the body part 15 of exterior frame 5 and 33 is threaded into mounting flange 3 as shown. In each case an aperture is left between the surface of the head of the screw and the respective flanges so as to permit the loops on the respective ends of supporting cable 35 to be hooked around the shanks of the screws and be retained in place by the head. A pair of these retaining screws and a supporting cable are placed on each side of the window and the cables are preferably adjusted in length so that, when the exterior sash assembly is disengaged by removal of pins, the cables will allow it to be rotated until it is in an approximately horizontal plane, as shown in Figures 7 and 3.

When the whole sash assembly is installed and in engaged position, interier frame 2 is rigidly connected by means of machine screws 11 and gasket 12 to supporting member 13 which is in turn connected to the wall and itself defines the window aperture. Exterior frame 5 is rotated so that the inwardly extending light holder engaging flanges on the respective frames firmly clamp between them the respective light holders, thereby maintaining the lights in spaced parallel relationship and effecting a substantially weather-tight seal between the abutting surfaces of thelight, holders. The firm clamping engagement is maintained by inserting tapered pins 6 through the respective tapered holes in both the interior and exterior frames as shown in Figure 3. Pins 6 are tapped into position to effect a firm closure of the abutting surfaces of the light holder. When all the pins have been placed in position the aperture through which they are reached is filled in by seal 26. This effectively seals off, between the surfaces of the wall, both the hinge 7, which is also hidden by flange 8, and the tapered pins thereby protecting these elements from the effects of the weather, and giving a neat smooth appearance on the exterior of the car.

When it is desired to remove or separate the lights the reverse procedure is followed. Seal 26 is removed thereby making it possible for pins 6 to be withdrawn from their respective tapered holes by means of a tool such as 31 as best shown in Figure 3. Once all the pins 6 have been removed the exterior frame 5 together with its associated light holder and light can be rotated downwardly as shown in Figures 2 and 3 so as to permit cleaning the mutually facing surfaces of lights 19 and 20, and, if desired, complete removal of either light, together with its associated light holder.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A sash assembly for use with double glazed type windows comprising a fixed interior frame and a movable exterior frame each having body portions from which extend inwardly light holder engaging flanges adapted to clamp rigidly between them two separable light holders in substantially air tight abutment when the frames are in engaged position, the interior frame being adapted to 'be permanently connected to the edges of the window aperture and having a transversely extending flange adapted to receive and surround at least part of the body portion of the exterior frame, the exterior frame also having an outwardly extending flange adapted, when the frames are in engaged position, to be in registry with the exterior surface of the wall and define therewith a slot extending completely around the assembly, said slot being adapted to accommodate a removable seal member to effect a substantially weathertight seal between the exterior frame and the edge of the window aperture, and removable means for releasably holding the frames in engaged position.

2. A sash assembly for use with double glazed windows of the kind used on railway cars and the like comprising: an interior frame adapted to be permanently mounted in the window aperture and a movable exterior frame adapted to engage with the interior frame, both said frames having body portions and light holder engaging flanges extending inwardly to clamp rigidly between them two light holders when the frames are in engaged position, the interior frame having a transverse flange adapted at least partly to surround, and define a recess for receiving, the body portion of the exterior frame, the exterior frame also having an outwardly extending flange adapted, when the frames are inan engaged position, to be in registry with the exterior surface of the wall and define therewith a slot extending completely around the assembly, said slot being adapted to accommodate a removable seal member to effect a substantially weathertight seal between the exterior frame and the exterior of the wall, a hinge disposed between the body portion of the exterior frame and the transverse flange along one side of the assembly, said hinge means thereby providing rotatable connection between said frames, and fastening means disposed along at least one side of the assembly for releasably maintaining said frames in engaged position, said fastening means being accessible through said slot when said seal member is removed.

3. A sash assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the hinge is located along the bottom of the assembly, and the fastening means are disposed on the other three sides.

4. A sash assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the 6. fastening means are in the form of removable tapered pins extending through the transverse flange into the body portion of the exterior frame.

5. A sash assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein the tapered pins can be withdrawn by means of a tool adapted to be inserted through the aperture occasioned by removal of the seal member.

6. A sash assembly as claimedin claim 5 wherein the tapered pins are provided with heads, and the tool has a fork shaped end adapted to be inserted between the transverse flange and the bottom of the head.

7. A sash assembly for use with double glazed windows of the kind used on railways and the like comprising cooperating exterior and interior frames fabricated from extruded aluminum stock formed into the appropriate window size and shape, said frames having body portions and inwardly extending light holder engaging flanges adapted to clamp rigidly between them two U-shaped light holders in substantially air tight engagement, the interior frame having an outwardly extending mounting flange adapted to be permanently connected to the edge of the window aperture and also having a transverse flange adapted to surround, and define a recess in the interior frame for receiving, at least part of the body portion of the exterior flange; the exterior frame also having a generally outwardly extending flange adapted when the frames are in engaged position, to be in registry with the exterior surface of the wall and define therewith a slot extending completely around the assembly, said slot being adapted to accommodate a removable seal member to effect a weathertight seal between the exterior frame and the exterior of the wall; a hinge mounted between the body portion of the exterior frame and the transverse flange along the bottom of the assembly, releasable fastening means adapted to hold the frames in engaged position disposed on the other sides of the assembly, said fastening means being accessible through the said slot when the seal member is removed, and otherwise being sealed within the wall.

8. The assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the fastening means comprise a series of removable tapered pins extending through the transverse flange and into the body part of the exterior frame.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein a cable is connected between the frames at points near the top and on at least one side thereof, said cable adapted to maintain the exterior frame in a transverse plane when the exterior frame is in disengaged, folded down, position.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9 wherein a cable is connected at each side of the assembly, between a point on the outwardly facing surface of the body portion of the exterior frame, and a point on the inwardly facing surface of the transverse flange.

11. A sash assembly for use with double glazed breather type windows of the kind used on railway cars and the like comprising a fixed interior frame and a movable exterior frame each having body portions from which extend inwardly light holder engaging flanges adapted to clamp rigidly between them two separable U-shaped light holders in substantially air tight abutment when the frames are in engaged position, the interior frame also having a mounting flange adapted to be permanently connected to the window aperture around the periphery thereof, and a transverse flange adapted to receive and surround at least part of the body portion of the exterior frame, the exterior frame also having an outwardly extending flange adapted, when the frames are in engaged position, to be in registry with the exterior surface of the wall and define therewith a slot extending completely around the assembly, said slot being adapted to accommodate a removable seal member to effect a substantially weathertight seal between the exterior frame and the exterior surface of the wall, a piano hinge having leaves respectively connected to the outwardly facing surface of the body portion of the exterior frame and the inwardly facing surface of the transverse flange so as to admit rotation of the exterior frame relative to the interior frame about the hinge knuckle, flexible cable means to support the exterior frame when in folded out position, a plurality of removable tapered pin means extending through the transverse 5 flange and into the body portion of the exterior frame so as to releasably maintain the frames in engaged position, said tapered pins being accessible through said slot when the said seal member is removed, and a breather tube extending through the exterior frame into the space be- 10 tween the lights.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

